Through its expanded Alfie's Kid's Club concept, the Antelope Valley Fair and Alfalfa Festival is offering schools and booster clubs a new, easy way to raise money while providing youngsters, ages 5 through 10, a summer package of fun.
Membership to Alfie's Kid's Club is sponsored by Wal-Mart and Sam's Club and includes free admission to every day of the fair.
AV Fair marketing partnerships representative
Andrea Minghelli said the response from various PTAs to her initial presentations has been extraordinarily positive.
At one event, she said, "Every single school and PTA representative I talked to was excited about the program. I know it's going to be a hit. Kid's Club is different from other fundraisers in that there are no $1 candy bars to sell, catalogues to order from or time-consuming distribution of ordered items. Parents just complete the application process and we do the rest.
"For every $20 membership that comes in from a school, the AV Fair donates $5 back to the school," Minghelli said.
Alfie's Kid's Club will be in full operation for the 2008 Antelope Valley Fair & Alfalfa Festival, Aug. 22-Sept 1, with its theme, "Peaches n' Screams!"
The club, which the A.V. Fair initiated last year on a smaller scale, provides personal contact between the fair and each child, drawing youngsters into the excitement of the fair and its agricultural roots long before the gates open in August.
Upon joining, each child will receive a welcoming post card, a laminated personal membership card, a monthly newsletter filled with educational material on agriculture, games and puzzles and later in the summer an official 2008 Peaches n' Screams pin, Alfie's Kid's Club T-shirt and a season pass good forfree admission for all 11 days of the fair (a $55 value) as well as other surprises.
The newsletter is a bright, colorful publication, generated by the fair's Kid's Club staff and sent once a month in June, July and August. The glossy publication, said to be edited by Alfie Alfalfa, contains stories, fun facts, games, agricultural, livestock and wildlife information, puzzles, coloring pages, recipes, contests and crafts.
In this age of electronic communication, a real letter in the mailbox, personally addressed to the young member, is a new experience.
"One mother told me that when her son got the postcard in the mail, addressed to him, he was so happy and excited," Minghelli said. "We know other youngsters feel the same way. A lot of them have never received anything in the mail with their name on it."
The fair hopes to reach all the public and private school elementary students in the Antelope Valley and beyond. At least one Santa Clarita school, Minghelli said, plans to offer the fundraiser.
Any child can join the Antelope Valley Fair's "Alfie's Kid Club". Memberships sold in conjunction with a school's 'Ways and Means' and/or fundraising committees should contact Minghelli to schedule a presentation at your PTA or booster club.
She can be reached at her office at 661-948-6060, ext. 135; cell phone at 661-425-2024 or e-mail at
sponsorships@avfair.com.
Membership applications for all other memberships can be downloaded directly by going online at
www.avfair.com or coming to the administrative offices located at 2551 W. Ave. H, Suite 102, Lancaster.
Membership forms are available in Spanish.